ABOUT

My name is Joey Rocket. I was a very sensitive child, a characteristic that stuck with me for a while but ultimately dulled over time. As life has shaped me from a romantic into a pragmatist, I struggle not to become too cynical or too insensitive, hence: Mister Sensitive.

This is an egocentric art blog, but it is not truly a portfolio. A portfolio consists of a very deliberate body of work, carefully compiled and cultivated over time. It is consistent and deliberate and unified. I have never been that type of artist.

This experiment is really designed as a reminder to myself that I am productive, that I am creative, and that these are traits that I wish to encourage in myself. This is an exercise in trying to write more often, and to collect the work that I’ve done over the course of my life. The art that appears here will not necessarily be what I consider my most successful work, but each piece will be significant to my growth as an artist and human being.

For the record, I have a BFA (bachelor of fine arts) in photography and sculpture and an MFA (master of fine arts) in photography and digital media. I’ve won awards in drawing, sculpture, and filmmaking (no awards you would’ve heard of), and I’ve taken part in many group and solo exhibitions (in galleries you wouldn’t have heard of). I am currently employed at Schell Sculpture Studio as the Business Manager. I live in Van Nuys, CA Pittsburgh, PA with my wife, Jennifer.

In the Spring of 1999, I co-founded the Rocket Guild, of which I will always be a member. I am somewhat colorblind, my back curves forward quite a bit, and I can’t burp.

Artist Statement
Fewer people have the courage or blind ignorance to create than we realize, and when I say create, I mean as a lifestyle. Fear of judgment walls out many from creative pursuits. It is important for the artist to remember that it is hypocritical to only seek positive judgements. There should be no guilty pleasures. If you love something, you should never be ashamed of it.

Many will defend the idea of one artwork being undeniably superior to another either in message or execution, but this notion is terribly difficult to defend on an intellectual level. Supposing that taste does account for some level of intellectual understanding, what good does it serve to belittle an artwork or those who derive joy from it? Why do humans feel the need to rank everything?

Every person is a consumer of art. That means that there are nearly 7 billion opportunities for someone to love or hate an artwork. And with an audience that size, there will be lovers and there will be haters, both equally entitled.

The worst thing any person can feel about an artwork is indifference. This is the closest thing to failing artistically. The world's worst film is celebrated for being the worst. Mediocrity is forgotten. There might not be many or any new ideas, but there are centuries of great artwork that are yet to have been made.

Although it is important and occasionally intellectual, having an opinion is not creation.

There is so much truly brilliant work that requires no form. There is plenty of repulsive work that is formal as shit. And vice versa. Success exists anywhere along those two vectors, meaning: we determine our own course--by necessity. All formulas are effectively neutered.

It is okay to hate something as passionately as loving it. Art, though it is an extension of the artist, does not feel.

You should not judge a person by how they judge art. You should judge them by their haircut and how their breath smells.